Dive Brief:

• The Kandiyohi County landfill in New London, MN is experimenting with a leachate filtering system on-site. If the pilot project is successful, the landfill will use the technology to remove up to 4 million gallons of leachate from the site annually.
• The system uses pumps, pipes, heavy-duty filters and high pressure to remove contaminants from the leachate. Water is separated from the waste and deposited into containers.
• The filtered water can then be used to irrigate crops or could potentially be deposited into streams. After the addition of lime to convert the substance into an inert material, the remaining sludge has potential as a fertilizer, or can be buried at the landfill.  

Dive Insight:

Kazem Oskoui of Clark Engineering Corp. of Minneapolis engineered the filtering system.

Other landfills are exploring new systems for leachate disposal. A landfill in Alpena, MI experimented with a a leachate disposal cannon. The innovative technology has saved the landfill hundreds of thousands of dollars in handling and treatment costs since it has been in operation.